It has been shown that beer can help recovery better than plain water. It isn't the worst way to recover glucose.

Now, whiskey, on the other hand...

It's also been shown ethanol damages mitochondria.

What about midichlorians?

I tried chocolate milk today for the first time after a ride and I gotta say I feel pretty good. Usually I'd opt for a soda, gatorade or IPA mainly for thirst quenching purpose. I've always felt whatever tastes best to you is the best recovery drink.

I'll have to look that up.

You've all convinced me now.

After tomorrow's ride, it's beer and chocolate milk. Together.

That's a really bad combination. Beer and milk of any sort. Yuk might need a recovery drink for the recovery drink.

Endurox R4

https://www.hamiltonbeach.com/chocolate-stout-float

You're welcome. :thumb:

Not that they are bad, just that they are unnecessary. Water, juice, food, it all serves better than any replacement drink. The human body doesn't need a chemist to figure out how to work, it already is the chemist.
Having said all that, chocolate milk is my fave.

It during the ride that these products seem to help.
A caffeine gel especially.

When I ride 25 or less miles water is fine but when I ride a century these products are a help.

Less than 25- nothing is needed. Above I have one bottle water, half frozen and 1 bottle OJ with a little sugar added to keep it tasty as ice melts.

Because you do it does make it "the right thing to do?"

Sports drinks are designed to help you sure you can by on bread and water.

Hmmm . . . I know several vegetarian or vegan riders and all are very careful about getting adequate protein. One woman I know swears by soy or almond milk, soy protein blend, natural peanut butter and banana smoothies for recovery. I use something similar except I use whey protein (I'm not vegetarian and obviously not vegan). Get a moderate amount of protein, carbs, electrolytes and adequate fluids and you should recover just fine. If your nutrition is good and your recovery is slow, you might want to take a look at your training schedule and sleep patterns (overtrained or under-rested).

For a while it was a small can of Fanta orange soda but I got sick of it and not enough fizz for me in it. I want my throat to hurt while I drink soda.


Lately it has been Squirt soda imported from Mexico. Lots of fizz but I'm getting sick of it also now. I'm just bored of soda I think.


I will switch to choc milk for a while but not the common supermarket garbage. I like Avalon organic made with homogenized milk. It's good stuff.


I don't buy gels or energy bars or any of that stuff.

I guess it all depends how hard you ride.

Not really. The body can handle almost any endurance activity for an hour without input. We are an overfed, overhydrated bunch these days that seem to forget no chemist or physiologist can outdo the precise, everchanging adaptive responses of the body to stress. Obviously, when going into the s second, third and fourth hours something is needed. Under an hour and a half, not so much.

But its not about what the body can manage without or endure. It's about what is optimal and best for the body.

Milk, it does a body good!

Bah. That's the sportsdrink/energy bar companies talking.

Either ovaltine with fairlife fat free milk or, if I have them, Bolthouse farms Chocolate Protein Plus. I'll usually have a siggi's yogurt as well and then some fruit.

ON Whey and BCAA's after rides.

Yeah, better drink Kumis instead, to be safe.

Speak for yourself. I have pores like garden spigots. I'll go through 1.5-2 26 oz bottles in an hour or so and as often as not be dehydrated afterwards. Water is always my problem on longer rides.

This is going to date me, but I was sometimes given flat warm coca-cola. And it actually worked! But, hey, we weren't even required to wear helmets so I'm sure the previously mentioned liquids are better choices...